To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2005, Official Report, column 1243W, on Kamel Bourgass, if he will estimate the approximate date when the information was passed from the police to the Home Office and Ministers; and when Porton Down passed this information to Ministers.

Following the police raid on 5 January 2003, a pestle and mortar was found in the flat on 6 January 2003 and sent for analysis. An e-mail sent at 06:02 am on 7 January 2003 from the Terrorism and Protection Unit (TPU) to the Home Secretary's Office confirmed a notification received earlier that morning (no time, medium, source or recipient recorded) that the powder found inside the mortar was ricin—enough for one lethal dose.

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2005, we have a legal obligation to search for any relevant information before making the decision whether to disclose or apply an exemption.

After a very thorough search I can confirm that the Home Office does not hold any other information relevant to the question.

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